Traffic snarls I-5 after viaduct closure

By GERRY SPRATT, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Updated 3:54 pm, Saturday, October 22, 2011

Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO

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Members of the Seattle Cossacks classic motorcycle stunt team perform on the upper deck of the closed Alaskan Way Viaduct on Saturday, October 22, 2011 in downtown Seattle. They were winners of a contest where organizations made pitches about what they would do on the deck of the closed highway for half an hour. The highway usually carries 110,000 cars per day and will be closed for 9 days as demolition of the southern half of the aging structure begins. The highway, built in the 1950s, will be replaced with a new deep bore tunnel along the Seattle waterfront.

Members of the Seattle Cossacks classic motorcycle stunt team perform on the upper deck of the closed Alaskan Way Viaduct on Saturday, October 22, 2011 in downtown Seattle. They were winners of a contest where

The impact of the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure was felt right away Saturday morning and early afternoon, with stop-and-go traffic snarling Interstate 5 North from south of the West Seattle Bridge and heavy congestion stretching through downtown Seattle.

Traffic was also heavy on I-5 South starting before Northgate and continuing to the Ship Canal Bridge.

Meanwhile, on the viaduct itself, the only traffic was on foot. The Washington State Department of Transportation opened the structure from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., drawing about 3,000 nostalgic pedestrians.

The public walk is one of several festivities Saturday as the 9-day closure of the critical highway begins. A roller derby team and a motorcycle stunt team also had free range of the highway for 30 minutes after winning a contest.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and other lawmakers are also present to commemorate the start of the demolition.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, the viaduct was closed for nine days so the southernmost section could be demolished. The closure is expected to create a nightmare commute for some drivers Monday.

But drivers will get a preview of the effects over the weekend, especially as football fans begin arriving in Sodo for the Washington State vs. Oregon State game at CenturyLink Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30, but fans will begin arriving in the early afternoon.

To help with the traffic, northbound lanes between Royal Brougham Way and the Battery Street Tunnel will be opened during sporting events and between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Friday, crews began demolishing a section of the 1950s-era behemoth to build a detour connection between a new highway replacing the Sodo section and the central viaduct along the waterfront. The rest of the Sodo section will be torn down by next year, while the central waterfront section will remain open until a new highway tunnel opens in late 2015 or early 2016.

About 110,000 cars travel the viaduct every day. For West Seattle residents, who already know how bad traffic can be in the mornings to downtown, the closure could be a nightmare.

Fourth Avenue South is a viable detour into downtown from the Spokane Street Viaduct for West Seattleites. On First Avenue South, two lanes will be open in both directions during the closure, even around Spokane Street construction, to accommodate as much traffic as possible. Drivers headed south from downtown on surface streets are reminded they won't have westbound access to the Spokane Street viaduct. A new First Avenue ramp still is under construction.